Creativity

Model Senate 

December 10th, 2024

World Affairs Council, Fox School of Business at Temple University

~ 9 hours (5 hours Conference + 4 hours Research)

On December 10th, 2024, I attended the Model Senate conference hosted by the World Affairs Council at the Fox School of Business. The conference discussed and debated contemporary U.S. immigration policy, focusing on how the government should refine its immigration regime. 

Prior to attending the conference, I was assigned to represent Marta Costanzo Youth, the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. Since one of the areas of focus for my agency was irregular migration, I engaged with literature about the mass displacement of individuals, caused by military conflicts, natural disasters, economic deprivation, and other factors that contribute to the refugee crisis worldwide. (L.O. 6) 

During the conference, expert witnesses, including myself, presented our perspectives in our opening statement. Afterward, we were questioned by senators to inform them on how best to craft immigration policies. Later, we edited their draft, collaborating with each other and leveraging our understanding as expert witnesses, to produce a document that reflected the changes necessary in U.S. immigration. (L.O. 5) By working together, we were able to balance the socioeconomic challenges that arise from irregular migration and the United State’s moral obligation to support refugees. 

Engagements in Foreign Literature

October 2024 - Ongoing

~ 20 hours 

Following my summer study abroad program in Madrid, Spain, I have realized the salience of engaging in foreign literature, such as novels and news articles, to understand worldwide perspectives, while improving my foreign language abilities. 

When I began reading the Spanish edition of the New York Times, I quickly realized its profound differences from the version of the United States. The articles highlighted stories across Latin America and Spain that almost never appeared in the minds of most Americans, including myself. As an individual deeply fascinated by politics, I was generally familiar with the American perspective of most events. However, the news articles compelled me to recognize my weaknesses in analyzing events from a global perspective rather than an American-centric viewpoint. (L.O. 1) Therefore, I have dedicated myself to including foreign media in my daily news readings in order to mitigate the problem. 

Meanwhile, I have engaged with several novels in Spanish and committed myself to finishing these novels in order to connect with Spanish perspectives. (L.O. 4) For example, I have been reading Cómo Muren Las Democracias which analyzes democratic backsliding generated by the rise in authoritarianism and populism around the world, including in the United States. While the vocabulary is complex, I have always persevered in understanding the information by leveraging dictionaries and other resources.   

Fine Arts 

November 2024 - Ongoing

~ 20 hours 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I began pursuing the fine arts as a hobby to cope with the loneliness of the pandemic and improve my well-being. However, after entering Central High School, I largely abandoned those aspirations, focusing on my academics over my mental health. This school year, I began reflecting on that decision and decided to return to the fine arts in early November 2024. 

After starting to draw again, I realized the tranquility that it brought me, especially when I was overwhelmed and stressed. While I had strengths in academics, the arts made me realize that I had weaknesses in valuing my mental health. (L.O. 1) Therefore, I have begun seeking out opportunities that bring me joy in order to maintain my well-being while in the fast-paced and rigorous IB program. 

Sometimes, I became frustrated while creating artistic work, feeling that it yielded fruitless results. However, I have always attempted to persevere in producing the work, as I recognized that it was a part of the learning process. (L.O. 4) In addition, I felt proud that I was able to express my creativity through the fine arts, instead of more contemporary methods, like literature.

Cooking Cultural Dishes 

January 5th 2024 

~ 3 Hours

Over Winter Break 2024, I collaborated with my sister to make a traditional dish from my culture. Growing up, I never had the opportunity to engage with my traditions as I moved to the United States at five, and I had to place my entire focus on academics. 

My sister and I made peanut dumplings using rice flour, water, and crushed peanuts. Following a recipe from my father, I mixed the rice flour with water in order to create the necessary consistency for the dough. Then, my sister helped crush the peanuts to produce the paste that would be placed in the dough. We worked together to cut and roll the combined ingredients into the dumplings, which were boiled to produce the final product.

The experience pushed me out of my comfort zone because I rarely cooked for my family as I feared that I would do a terrible job at creating the food. I learned that I am capable of proficiency in novel experiences, but needed more help in taking initiative. (L.O. 1) Indeed, I am often scared of failing, causing me to miss out on opportunities. 

Liberty Bell Classics Debate Tournament

February 7th to February 8th

University of Pennsylvania

~ 39 hours (24 hours preparing, 15 hours at the tournament) 

At the beginning of January, I attended the University of Pennsylvania's Liberty Bell Classic Tournament, as a varsity public forum debater. In the past, I was very scared to attend debate tournaments, as I had an irrational fear of loss, thus limiting my participation to the local level. However, when I saw this prestigious experience, I lunged at the opportunity to go outside my comfort zone. Attending the tournament has allowed me to reduce my irrational fear of loss, as I found that even though I lost the majority of my rounds, I was very happy with my performance. Indeed, in my first tournament at the varsity level, I managed to win two of the six rounds. (L.O.2)

I was also fascinated by the research leading up to the tournament. I loved investigating the topic: Resolved, the United States Federal Government should proceed to the Rome Statue. The topic allowed me to engage with an issue of global significance, specifically, the recognition of the International Criminal Court by countries worldwide. (L.O.6)  In a time of increasing geopolitical tensions, especially in the Middle East and Europe, this topic was incredibly relevant to current events, where I debated how the U.S. joining the ICC could affect the outcomes of these global conflicts.

Fine Arts with Color

February 2025 - Ongoing

~ 10 hours

Expanding my horizons, I have begun exploring fine arts with color. When I began my journey in art last year, I was intimidated by the great challenges presented by colored fine arts. I felt overwhelmed by the numerous techniques that I had to master to pursue this endeavor. Indeed, I could not escape my comfort zone of monochromic art, fearing failure. However, in February, I had the opportunity to meet with an artist, who introduced me to the basic ideas of color in art, allowing me to overcome that fear of failure and become more emotionally resilient. (L.O.2) Thus, I have been able to transform my monochromatic art portfolio into one of magnificent colors, facilitating my love for this hobby. 

Civics Unplugged Solvathon

March 2025 

~ 12 hours

In January, I was accepted to the prestigious Civics Unplugged Fellowship program, where I attended lectures about civic innovations, including the justice system, urban planning, media, law, artificial intelligence, and climate. As one of the components of the program, I collaborated with a team of fellows to work on the Solvathon, applying the lessons of the program to real-world issues. Our project focused on creating policies and implementing policies for primary and secondary educational institutions to leverage artificial intelligence in an ethical way to advance educational interests. (L.O. 6) While completing the Solvathon, I met with my team to brainstorm innovative ideas, eventually establishing a highly effective framework focused on supporting students, educators, and administrations. (L.O.5) 

For my part of the project, I used my knowledge to explain how policies can be focused on helping educators leverage artificial intelligence to manage their overwhelming workload. My research highlighted that U.S. teachers worked a shocking 1.75 billion hours of overtime per year, with 82% of educators citing that the thing that they need most is a more balanced workload. In solving this challenge, we proposed solutions, such as using artificial intelligence to help teachers grade assignments, plan lessons, and more easily personalize education.  

Model UN In-School Conference

March 3rd, 2025 

~ 5 hours (3 hours researching, 2 hours at conference) 

In March, I attended an in-school conference for Model UN focused on tackling Freedom of the Press. As the delegation from Pakistan, I researched my country's policies on this highly relevant issue in light of the increasing authoritarianism worldwide. (L.O.6) Unfortunately, my research uncovered the negative treatment of journalists by the incumbent Pakistani government, limiting my ability at the conference to address this critical issue, as I had to represent my country's perspective. 

Instead, I was able to approach the topic while aligning with Pakistan's position by criticizing some countries' proposition that the press should include supposed fact checks. I highlighted how such a program would be dominated by hegemonistic interests, as the permanent security, made up of the U.S., U.K., France, China, and Russia, predominately controls the United Nations. Thus, I was able to input ideas that helped counteract the more authoritarian parts of the resolution. 

Cooking Zongzi

May 31st, 2025

~ 5 hours

Even since I was a child, I have eaten Zongzi, a traditional Chinese dish both at home and at restaurants, but I never knew how to make the food. Fortunately, the opportunity presented itself on May 31st, 2025, when my mother purchased the necessary ingredients and I finally had some free time on my hands. We first made the sticky rice by soaking the rice we had at home in water for twelve hours. Then, we laid out all of our fillings, including pork, egg yolk, beans, and even scallops. Then, the bamboo leaves were placed on the table, where we added the sticky rice and fillings. 

I loved experimenting with the different ratios of fillings, but unfortunately, my mom was insistent that I stop because we were running out of ingredients. The challenge came when we had to cook the zongzi — I had never used a steam cooker before, and I feared that I would make a catastrophic mistake. However, my mom guided me through the process, and I got to step out of my comfort zone to learn yet another cooking method in the kitchen. (L.O. 1) I learned about the importance and significance of creativity in cooking, experimenting with different ingredients to produce something unique every time.

Drawing Facial Anatomy 

April 2025 – Present

~ 6 hours

In April 2025, I began engaging with drawing facial anatomy. Previously, my focus in fine arts was on inanimate objects, because I was concerned that I did not know how to draw faces without resulting in the “uncanny valley” effect. However, over the course of these last few months, I forced myself to break down the challenge into multiple steps, so that I can tackle it in bite-sized chunks. For example, I first focused my attention on the eyes, making various artistic pieces that portrayed the facial feature. Then, I moved onto the nose. I believe my progress has been steadfast, allowing me to develop the skills to eventually draw a full human face that is realistic. (L.O. 2) I am planning to make art pieces of the mouth and ears next, so that I will be able to accomplish the goal by this summer! 

Designing and Making Easter Eggs 

April 13, 2025

~ 3 hours

My sister wanted to give her school classmates Easter Eggs for Easter, so I took the initiative to bring her to our local Five Below, where we purchased the necessary supplies, including chocolate, eggs, crepe paper, and mini-toys. I collaborated with her over the course of an afternoon to fill the eggs with the supplies and add designs to them, so that every egg was unique for her friends. (L.O. 4) Initially, I was hesitant that I would be much help to the creative process, as I did not know her friends well enough to make specific designs. I also often performed steps in a systematic way, which sometimes left no room for creativity. However, leveraging the artistic skills that I have gained over this year, I was able to make eggs that my sister appreciated and her friends loved. (L.O. 1)

Media Interview to Advocate for Teacher Union Negotiations

August 14, 2025

~ 2 hours

Teachers are the backbone of every community. When I heard that the School District of Philadelphia was not providing teachers adequate pay and benefits in their new contract, I decided to attend the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers press conference on their union negotiations to learn more. Yet, I did not expect to be interviewed by Fox 29. Although I was hesitant at first, I agreed to share my perspective on the negotiations on television as a student in the district. I also discussed the situation with SEPTA, which threatened to cause chaos at the beginning of the year when students were returning to school. The experience helped me develop my public speaking and communication skills, as I needed to discuss the topic eloquently to a television audience with little preparation. (L.O. 2) Simultaneously, the appearance allowed me to engage with a global issue—teachers are underpaid and undervalued in nearly every country. (L.O. 6) I speak in the video at 2:34.

Street Interviews to Advocate for Streeteries

July 24, 2025

~ 5 hours

As part of my internship for Philadelphia City Council, I helped conduct various street interviews with individuals for a social media campaign. At first, I was very anxious about approaching random people and asking them to participate. However, I forced myself to engage with people around Center City. Although several people initially rejected my approaches, I was able to eventually conduct successful interviews with four individuals. (L.O. 2) We discussed Philadelphia’s streeteries program, where restaurants could place seating on the street, away from the sidewalk. Many people agreed with reclaiming the space from cars for pedestrians to help maintain environmental sustainability. (L.O. 6) By increasing the number of streeteries, there will hopefully be more street traffic and less motor vehicles, improving the environment. 

Learning to Draw Animals

October 11, 2025

~ 3 hours

After learning the basics of fine art last year, I wanted to apply those skills beyond humans and various inanimate objects. Initially, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to draw an animal like a puppy since I had no experience with it, mostly focusing on depicting human features. However, after spending a couple hours, I learned the techniques necessary to draw animals, and they were primarily a modification of the skills from drawing humans. (L.O. 2) Additionally, this experience allowed me to relax at a very stressful time in my life, as my college applications were rapidly approaching. I now further understand how art can be used as a means to calm myself when I am overwhelmed. (L.O. 1)

Meeting and Dinner with Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-4)

November 24, 2025

University of Pennsylvania

~ 2 hours

After receiving an email from the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy to attend an event with a Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, I immediately texted my friend Geard and asked if he wanted to go with me. Although I had met with congresspeople in the past, this event would function more like a town hall, pushing me outside my comfort zone. When the dinner began at 7PM, I was fearful of speaking due to the large crowd of individuals, exacerbated by my presence as a high schooler among college students. However, I eventually overcame that anxiety and asked a question to the congresswoman, albeit without stuttering a bit. That experience allowed me to develop better public speaking skills, particularly in a setting where I may not fit in. (L.O. 2) Moreover, my question focused on an issue of global significance: hunger. Amid the government shutdown, many people lost their SNAP benefits and were unable to get food. I inquired if she was worried that such an event would happen again, given that the continuing resolution to end the shutdown would only last until early 2026. (L.O. 6) When the event ended, I got up to privately speak to the congresswoman—an environment in which I felt much more comfortable. Together with Geard, we asked her about the increasing partisanship in D.C. and potential solutions to that problem. More importantly, however, we also asked if she would be willing to come to Central to attend a club that we run together: Politics Central. In doing so, we created a plan to extend our CAS experience even further and allow young people to become involved in politics. We plan on having a speakers series after Winter Break, inviting Central students to meet not just Congresswoman Madeleine, but several other individuals, including a councilmember and PA State House of Representative delegate. (L.O. 3)